Alberto Caliri has been very clear that he “doesn’t believe in change for its own sake”; his approach at Missoni is grounded in evolution rather than rupture.
Collections are built as continuous chapters, maintaining familiar silhouettes while reimagining them in new yarns, stitches and finishes.
The goal, as he frames it, is durability: clothes that can be mixed with past seasons so that long‑time Missoni clients recognise “their” pieces in updated form.
This Fall 2026 outing follows that logic. Rather than chasing trend shocks, Caliri refines the house’s knitwear language and Milanese idea of elegance – quiet, precise, and rooted in how people actually live and move.
Milanese spirit and relaxed elegance
The show was “an ode to the Milanese spirit,” imagining both women and men with a relaxed kind of chic.
The Missoni woman here looks like she has just stepped out of a refined Milan apartment: nothing is stiff, nothing screams, yet every proportion and texture is meticulously considered.
That Milanese sensibility – understated, urbane, a little private – runs through the entire collection. It’s not Parisian drama or London subversion; it’s about looking impeccably put‑together in a way that feels almost accidental.
Masculine–Feminine dialogue
As in the Pre‑Fall 2026 collection, the core narrative is the dialogue between masculine and feminine codes.
The brand’s history, born from the partnership of Rosita and Ottavio Missoni, is woven into this interplay: Ottavio’s classic cardigan reappears as a softer, more fluid staple, often elongated or relaxed into robe‑like shapes.
Soft tailoring is key. Caliri uses knit cashmere, worked with raschel and caperdoni techniques, to build coats and pajama‑inspired suits that feel like loungewear but read as tailoring.
Blazers keep the comfort of knitwear while projecting a precise, dressed‑up line, echoing the broader menswear trend toward unstructured suiting.
Knitwear as primary language
Knitwear is not a category at Missoni; it is the medium. The brand’s signature zigzag and space‑dyed effects are still present, but Caliri pushes them with more experimental stitch work: decomposed patterns, fuzzy textures, subtle fraying and abstracted motifs that verge on the painterly.
Missoni’s own description of the Spring/Summer 2026 line – where “distinctive techniques and unique yarn treatments define the collection and embody the most recognizable codes of the house” – applies equally to Fall: fabric innovation is the story, with pattern and colour emerging from the knit, not just printed on top.
Evening wear: Glamour that moves
One of Caliri’s clear priorities is that even glamour must be comfortable. In Pre‑Fall, he talked about dresses that “wear like a favourite T‑shirt” yet trace the body with sleek, sparkling assurance, showing just enough skin to feel sensual without tipping into discomfort.
Fall 2026 continues this logic: column and bias‑skimming dresses in glittering or metallic knits offer ease of movement first, impact second.
Sequins and shine are integrated into the knit structure – think long zigzag gowns with sequin and chiffon appliqué – so the garments flex and breathe instead of feeling like rigid “occasionwear armour.”
Silhouette and proportion
Across his recent seasons, Caliri has been playing with a specific push‑pull: shorter hemlines set against broader shoulders, light fabrics against firmer cuts.
That SS26 “contraction and expansion” exercise – tiny shorts and skirts paired with strong‑shouldered jackets –evolves into Fall as a subtler volume game: cocooning cardigans over narrow trousers, slouchy coats over glittering knit columns.
The throughline is ease. Nothing is body‑con in the old sense; instead, silhouettes envelop and skim, inviting layering while preserving a vertical, elongated line that flatters in motion.
Accessories and styling
Styling, as seen from SS26 and extrapolated into Fall, leans into pragmatic but playful accents: soft ankle boots and flats, oversized jewellery, a rotation of bags, and berets that punctuate looks without overwhelming them.
For Fall, social posts and show teasers highlight 80s‑inflected shoulders and shimmering knits “fused with androgynous sharpness,” suggesting a continuation of that mix of relaxed base with stronger upper‑body structure.
The accessories help tie together Missoni’s dual promises: day‑to‑day usability and a touch of spectacle.
